| www.CostaRicaTicas.com https://forum.costaricaticas.com/ |
|
| More air passengers getting bumped https://forum.costaricaticas.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12888 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | Witling [ Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | More air passengers getting bumped |
More air passengers getting bumped Updated 8/4/2006 8:55 AM ET By Marilyn Adams, USA TODAY Airline passengers in the USA are getting bumped off flights more frequently than at any time in the last six years, the government reported Thursday. Some 16,300 passengers were bumped against their wishes in the April-June quarter, a rate of 1.12 passengers per 10,000. That rate is one-third higher than a year earlier. The airlines' rate of what the Department of Transportation calls "involuntary denied boardings" was the highest since the same quarter in 2000. In all, the DOT said, airlines bumped about 185,000 passengers during the last quarter, also up from the year-ago quarter. Most volunteered to give up their seats. The worsening problem with bumping reflects the intensifying push by airlines to fill a greater percentage of seats. Grappling with soaring travel demand, continuing financial problems and record high fuel prices, airlines are filling planes fuller to maximize ticket revenue while holding down operating costs. No. 1 American Airlines filled a record 87% of its seats last month, while Delta and Continental filled 85% of seats during July. That means many flights were sold out or oversold. Southwest Airlines bumped nearly 32,000 passengers voluntarily or involuntarily in the quarter, more than any other airline. But the Dallas-based discount giant also carried more passengers than any of the 19 airlines covered in the DOT report. According to the DOT report, the percentage of delayed and canceled flights also increased from a year earlier. More than 25% of all domestic flights in June arrived late, defined as 15 minutes or more off schedule. Summer 2006 is shaping up as the most troublesome for airline passengers in years, in part because of unexpected problems. During the week of July 16, New York City suffered a power outage, and Tropical Storm Beryl fouled up flights from New York to New England. On July 26 and July 27, a Northwest Airlines computer glitch delayed more than 2,700 flights. This summer, Chicagoan Tony Hiller, a frequent traveler, has found that persistence pays. He spent two days trying to fly from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area to visit his grandmother. When American canceled his flight from Chicago O'Hare to Washington Reagan National Airport on July 20, a day when many flights were canceled, the airline told him it couldn't assure him another seat for four days. "I was stunned," he says, "but some of the other passengers went completely ballistic." American told passengers the airport would provide cots for an overnight stay if necessary. Instead, Hiller went home, and the next day caught a Southwest evening flight from Chicago Midway to Baltimore-Washington International. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/ ... usat_x.htm Best and worst airlines for getting bumped: http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2006/08/dot.html#more |
|
| Author: | Irish Drifter [ Fri Aug 04, 2006 12:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Quote: No. 1 American Airlines filled a record 87% of its seats last month, Delta and Continental filled 85% of seats during July.
If the airlines can continue to post those kinds of load factors you can forget any kind of break in fares. Normally traffic falls off dramatically after labor day but if the airlines substitute smaller capacity equipment or less flight than the load factor and fares will remain high. 
|
|
| Author: | LittleKing [ Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
This is a big problem with Delta. I've used Delta twice this year travelling to LAm including once to SJO, and been bumped coming back both times! The good news for me was I didn't have anyplace I needed to be the next day, and if you are held back a day, Delta's policy is, besides free hotel and meals for a day, to give a $600 voucher for future travel, good for a year. So, $600 voucher applied to a $550 airfare from Boston, I am arriving in SJO August 14th! But if it wasn't for the vouchers, and my open schedule this summer, I'd be very unhappy with Delta's service and would do my best to use other airlines. |
|
| Author: | Witling [ Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:12 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
On July 4th American was giving a hotel room, $600 and a flight out the next morning from San Jose. Delta had no over-bookings. It's just the luck of the draw sometimes. Sounds like you made out pretty well, I wouldn't complain too much. If you don't want to get bumped make sure you check in online upto 24 hours in advance. Then make sure you're on time for your flight. They also usually ask for volunteers before bumping anyone, would that be you? |
|
| Author: | LittleKing [ Sat Aug 05, 2006 4:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
When I experienced the first bump, in SJO in April, they asked for volunteers. The last one, a month ago in Bogota Colombia, they just told us the flight was full. And they didn't offer the vouchers directly, so I told a few other unhappy customers about the airline voucher policy so they could demand them. But that is Delta service for you I guess; inconsistent at best it seems. |
|
| Author: | Irish Drifter [ Sat Aug 05, 2006 5:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
LittleKing wrote: When I experienced the first bump, in SJO in April, they asked for volunteers. The last one, a month ago in Bogota Colombia, they just told us the flight was full. And they didn't offer the vouchers directly, so I told a few other unhappy customers about the airline voucher policy so they could demand them. But that is Delta service for you I guess; inconsistent at best it seems.
That is not inconsistent it is a violation of the DOT "Denied Boarding" rules. The carrier must first ask for volunteers and this usually is a case if "Deal - No Deal". They make an offer of what they will give you to volunteer and you decide to accept or not. Sometimes they will up the ante if they do not get enough volunteers and at times they will not. If they do not get enough volunteers they then remove passengers using procedures they have filed with DOT for involuntary denied boarding.. Anytime you run into a situation, as you did in Bogotá, you should document the situation and file a complaint with DOT. However it should always be noted that rules may be different for International Airlines or International travel to certain countries. |
|
| Author: | Witling [ Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
That brings to mind a little travel tip from your Uncle Wit: Whenever flying out of Colombia DO NOT BE LATE FOR YOUR FLIGHT! I posted a more extensive report under "Trip Reports & Information from around the world!" |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group https://www.phpbb.com/ |
|